Argos Orestiko (Greek: Άργος Ορεστικό, lit. 'Orestean Argos', before 1926: Χρούπιστα – Chroupista;[2]Aromanian: Hrupishte) is a town and a municipality in the Kastoria regional unit, Greece. The Kastoria National Airport (also known as Aristotelis Airport) is located in Argos Orestiko.
History
Antiquity
In antiquity, Argos Orestikon was the main town of the Orestae. It was said to have been founded by Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, who fled from Argos in the Peloponnese after the murder of his mother.[3][4]
The exact location of classical Argos Orestikon has not been found. Based on epigraphic evidence, the administrative centre of the Orestae lay near the centre of the present town Argos Orestiko, at a site named "Armenochori".[5] During the campaign of Alexander the Great to the East, settlers from the town founded another Argos Orestikon to distant Scythian steppes during the 4th century BCE.
Modern period
At least since the 16th century, Argos Orestiko has a notable annual trade fair.[6]
Towards the end of the 18th century, Aromanians from Moscopole settled in the town; later more followed from the villages of Gramosta and Samarina.[6] According to a statistical report by BritishColonel Henry Synge, dated 12 June 1878, the kaza of Chroupista (Argos Orestiko) had 4,565 Greek and 4,220 Aromanian males who were Orthodox Christians and recognized the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (opposing the Bulgarian Exarchate); it also had 2,290 Muslim males.[7] At the turn of the 20th century, the town of Argos Orestiko was inhabited by Greeks, Aromanians, Bulgarians, and Turks.[8][9] In the late Ottoman period, the town was wealthy, had four mosques and many of its Muslim population were involved in agriculture and trade.[10] During the end of the 19th century, it had a number of Greek schools, but also a Bulgarian and Romanian one; at that time, the Greek language prevailed in the town, even among Aromanians and Bulgarians,[6] and particularly the former had a Greek national consciousness.[11]
The 1920 Greek census recorded 3,603 people in the town and 1,500 inhabitants (200 families) were Muslim in 1923.[12] Following the Greek–Turkish population exchange, Greek refugee families in the town were from East Thrace (10), Asia Minor (69), Pontus (132) and the Caucasus (1) in 1926.[12] The 1928 Greek census recorded 3,605 town inhabitants.[12] In 1928, the refugee families numbered 214 (852 people).[12] After the population exchange, the main mosque of the town was replaced with a church built and dedicated to Saint Paraskevi; the other three mosques were destroyed.[13]
In 1945, Greek Foreign Minister Ioannis Politis ordered the compilation of demographic data regarding the Prefecture of Kastoria.[14] The town Argos Orestiko had a total of 4,100 inhabitants, including 1,370 Slavophones.[15]
Municipality
The municipality Orestida was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Argos Orestiko and Ion Dragoumis, that became municipal units.[16] Orestida was renamed to Argos Orestiko in 2013.[17] The municipality of Argos Orestiko has an area of 340.731 km2 (131.557 sq mi); the municipal unit of Argos Orestiko (the pre-2011 municipality) has an area of 206.396 km2 (79.690 sq mi).[18]
The municipal units are further subdivided into the following communities:[16]
^Strabo, "Geography", 7.7.8:"It is said that Orestes once took possession of Orestias—when is, exile on account of the murder of his mother—and left the country bearing his name; and that he also founded a city and called it Argos Oresticum."
^ abcVeremis, Thanos; Koliopoulos, John S. (2006). Ελλάς. Η σύγχρονη συνέχεια: από το 1821 μέχρι σήμερα (in Greek). Kastaniotis Editions. p. 85. ISBN978-960-03-4246-8.
^Destani, Bejtullah D. (2003). Ethnic Minorities in the Balkan States, 1860-1971. Vol. 1. Cambridge Archive Editions (published 2019). pp. 333–334. ISBN978-1-78806-650-1.
